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Cause and Effect Paragraphs



What is the Purpose?

• To discuss the reasons why something

occurs

• To discuss the results of an event, feeling

or action

Knowing how to write a good Cause or Effect paragraph is important

– most classes, history, biology, journalism, marketing, for example,

use this technique to analyze things.



Why do we write these types of

paragraphs?

• To understand a situation

• To solve a problem• To predict an outcome

• To entertain

• To persuade



Brainstorming Techniques

• Listing Causes

• Listing Effects

•

Organizer



Achieving Unity

• Unity is achieved in a paragraph bydeciding if causes or effects will be thefocus

•

Create a topic sentence that focuses oncentral event, feeling or action.

• Is there a link between the causes or effects? Use that link as the controlling

idea (ex. negative effects, positiveoutcomes, happy reasons.)



Enhancing Coherence

• To increase coherence, limit the number of causes or effects.

• Decide if there is a chain reaction or

individual causes/ effects.• Use transitional words that focus the

purpose of the paragraph.

• Use support sentences to identify thecauses or effects.



Useful Vocabulary

http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/fwalters/causeconnect.htmlAs

Cause

For

Because

SinceDue to

Effect

So

But

For this reasonAs a result

Consequently

Otherwise

Therefore

Thus





Sample Paragraph

Headaches

Headaches can have several causes. Many peoplethink that the major cause of headache is nervoustension, but there is strong evidence that suggests

diet and environment as possible factors. Somepeople get headaches because they are dependenton caffeine. Other people may be allergic to salt, or they may have low blood sugar. Still other people areallergic to household chemicals including polishes,waxes, bug killers, and paint. If they can manage to

avoid these substances, their headaches tend to goaway. When a person has recurring headaches, it isworthwhile to look for the underlying cause, especiallyif the result of that search is freedom from pain.



Sample Paragraph with clear

support sentencesHeadaches

Headaches can have several causes. One obvious cause is

stress. People have hectic lives and frequently have multiple

stressors everyday, like work, family and money. Another

reason for headaches in some people has to do with diet. Some get headaches because they are dependent on

caffeine. Other people may be allergic to salt, or they may have

low blood sugar. The environment can also cause thisuncomfortable condition. Allergens such as household

chemicals including polishes, waxes, bug killers, and paint canlead to headaches. Lowering stress, controlling your diet and

avoiding allergens can help avoid headaches.



Sample Paragraph

Headaches

Recurring headaches can have several disruptive effects on aperson's life. Severe headaches are more than temporaryinconveniences. In many cases, these headaches make aperson nauseous to the point that he or she must go tobed. Sleep is often interrupted because of the pain. This

worsens the physical and emotional state of the sufferer. For those who try to maintain a normal lifestyle, drugs are oftenrelied on to get through the day. Such drugs, of course, canhave other negative side effects. Productivity on a job cancertainly be reduced, even to the point of regular absences. Finally, perhaps the most distressing aspect of all

this is the seemingly unpredictable occurrence of theseheadaches. The interruption to a person's family life isenormous: cancelling plans in the last minute and strainingrelationships with friends and family. It is no wonder that manyof these people feel discouraged and even depressed.



Sample Paragraph with

cause/effect signal wordsHeadaches

Recurring headaches can have initiate disruptive effects in aperson's life. Initially, in many cases, these headaches make aperson nauseous to the point that he or she must go to bed.Furthermore, sleep is often interrupted because of thepain. Disrupted sleep worsens the physical and emotional state

of the sufferer. For those who try to maintain a normal lifestyle,drugs are often relied on to get through the day. Such drugs, of course, can lead to other negative effects. Drugs can inhibitproductivity on a job, perhaps even causing regular absences. Not only is work affected, but the seeminglyunpredictable occurrence of these headaches leads to

disruption in family life. The interruption to a person's family lifeis enormous: cancelling plans in the last minute and strainingrelationships with friends and family. It is no wonder that manyof these people feel discouraged and even depressed due to thecycle of misery reoccurring headaches cause.

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